Brennan Marine Wins $9.1M Mississippi Sand Contract
The Army Corps of Engineers awarded the dredging project near Wabasha to the La Crosse, Wisconsin contractor on September 29.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Construction
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' St. Paul District awarded a $9.1 million contract to Brennan Marine on September 29. The work requires moving 325,000 cubic yards of dredged sand to a permanent upland placement area near Wabasha.
Why it matters
The project frees up future temporary storage space at the placement site and helps prevent navigation channel closures on the Mississippi River. Maintaining the channel is essential for river shipping across the region.
The $9.1 million contract covers moving 325,000 cubic yards of sand, with Brennan Marine given two years to finish the work. The Corps maintains a 9-foot navigation channel across 13 locks and dams between Minneapolis and Guttenberg, Iowa.
The players
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The federal agency responsible for maintaining navigation on the Upper Mississippi River and managing the St. Paul District's locks and dams.
Brennan Marine
A La Crosse, Wisconsin marine contractor selected to carry out the dredging and sand relocation project.
The details
Dredged sand will be moved from the Grand Encampment site to a permanent upland placement area near the Zumbro River Flats, south of Wabasha. The beneficial use of the sand will convert the upland site into sand prairie and dune habitat, supporting the Corps' engineering with nature approach.
Timeline
September 29, 2026: Corps awards the contract to Brennan Marine.
Spring 2027: Dredging work is expected to begin.
Two years after start: Contractor's deadline to complete the project.
Market Landscape
The contract reflects how federal navigation maintenance on the Upper Mississippi increasingly pairs dredging with habitat restoration under the Corps' engineering with nature program. Contractors like Brennan Marine compete for these federally funded dredging awards as river channel upkeep continues across the region.
Maintaining the navigation channel keeps river barge traffic moving, which affects freight costs for goods shipped along the Upper Mississippi. Residents near Wabasha may notice dredging equipment and sand handling activity during the work period.
The takeaway
Federal river maintenance increasingly treats dredged material as a resource, turning storage burdens into habitat gains. Watching how projects like this one perform will show whether the approach scales across the Mississippi.
What happens next
Dredging work is expected to begin next spring, with the contractor given two years to complete the sand relocation.
Further reading
For more on regional river infrastructure projects, explore Construction coverage.
